UCD ... 15 Blackrock ... 7: It was an afternoon that marked a watershed for the combatants. UCD's victory edges them ever farther away from the relegation mire and defines the end-of-season ambitions. From John O'Sullivan at Belfield
Two wins and the students will enjoy the higher education of the AIB All-Ireland League Division One for another season.
Saturday was the confirmation that Blackrock won't make the play-offs, that their once lofty position in the league standings was misleading.
What should have disappointed coach Kevin West was the largely toothless, rudderless display that made UCD's afternoon more comfortable than they had a right to expect.
Blackrock's philosophy of trying to get the ball wide with long skip passes while not first fixing the home side's drift defence was predictable and dealt with relatively easily.
Once UCD shut down Gary Brown in the centre, it disarmed the Blackrock back line. It was only the belated introduction of Conor Kilroy that spiced up the visitors' attacking gambits.
The ball produced by the Blackrock pack was largely dreadful and scrumhalf Ben Willis would have been perfectly within his rights to throw a mid-match hissy fit. He received ball and man on numerous occasions, Blackrock failing to clear out bodies at rucks.
In mitigation, UCD's service was hardly silver salver for Brian O'Riordan and with referee John Sheehan's laissez-faire attitude to rucks, the respective openside flankers, Richie Woods and Neil Coughlan, insinuated themselves terrier-like under piles of bodies to slow down possession.
It was a messy match, riddled with errors, encapsulated in a first half that ended with both sides failing to score.
At that stage UCD had enjoyed first use of a strong wind and appeared vulnerable if Blackrock employed the elements intelligently.
They didn't.
The home side also profited from several exceptional performances, not least from Niall Breslin, captain David Blaney and Des Dillon, the game's outstanding player.
O'Riordan recovered from a sloppy first half to score a trademark try, improving both his concentration and game-reading skills after the break.
Paddy Hickey-Dwyer tackled assuredly in a UCD backline that defended well but didn't threaten in possession.
Leo Cullen, hooker Glen van der Wyer and Woods played as if the game mattered but with the low-grade ball delivered to the halfbacks, Blackrock huffed and puffed to little effect.
The decent-sized crowd at the Belfield Bowl were just getting over the fact that two of the division's more potent teams - in terms of try-scoring - had completed a half of rugby without creating a single chance between them when UCD outhalf Eoghan Hickey took the bare look off the scoreboard.
His well-struck 35-metre penalty nudged the home side in front and they went farther ahead 60 seconds later when a superb run by hooker David Blaney - Blackrock had turned over possession carelessly - set O'Riordan free and he glided around Tom Keating to score. Hickey missed the conversion but was more accurate on 55 minutes in adding the extra points to a try from left wing Philip Bredin, following good work by Dillon.
Blackrock emptied the substitute's bench in search of inspiration and with UCD idling towards the final whistle, reduced to 14 players when captain David Blaney was sin binned, and generally thinking of the post-match pints, the visitors finally stayed in the students' 22 long enough to exert some real pressure.
The upshot was a try for replacement Geoff McEvoy, converted by Kilroy.
It was too little too late, the spoils deservedly going to UCD.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 46 mins: Hickey penalty, 3-0; 47 mins: O'Riordan try, 8-0; 55 mins: Bredin try, Hickey conversion, 15-0; 82 mins: McEvoy try, Kilroy conversion, 15-7.
UCD: C Warner; D McKenna, P Hickey-Dwyer, S Moore, P Bredin; E Hickey, B O'Riordan; M Moynagh, David Blaney (capt), I Lynam, N Breslin, S Crawford, Dermot Blaney, D Dillon, N Coughlan. Replacements: C Davis for Crawford 57 mins. Yellow card: David Blaney (UCD) 74 mins.
BLACKROCK: T Keating; P Drew, G Brown, J Davis, J Hearty; E Farrell, B Willis; A McSweeney (capt), G van der Wyer, N Treston, L Cullen, J Fitzgerald, R Rogers, M Gilbride, R Woods. Replacements: C Kilroy for Keating 57 mins; G McCarthy for Gilbride 57 mins; M Cuffe for Treston 62 mins; G McEvoy for Fitzgerald 65 mins.
Referee: J Sheehan (Munster).
